Ancient - Trolltaar

People give me shit because I love early Ancient. That first album is great, and the lengthy EP after it is also brilliant. Musically simple -- true. But what isn't? All pop music, even the progressive bands, are simplistic droolers compared to a classical symphony. What's amazing is that it has a spirit that is pure metal, while the music embraces more than one mood; it's even happy sometimes, but with a sense of being doomed and yet rising to a point of power.

Over at another forum, someone came up with an interesting idea for the perpetual top ten lists. Don't list what you think you should list, but what you actually listen to. Of course, everyone ignores that, but the point is well-made. I listen to Trolltaar more than most black metal bands because it's ambitious, beautiful, interesting and poetic. I put it in with a list of stuff I always pick up because it's killer:

Yet I hold other stuff that I don't listen to more often in higher esteem than some of these albums. Enslaved, HLTO, Demoncy, Profanatica, the aforementioned Emperor etc. etc. Looking at the list now I guess there are some common identifiable threads, but I'll leave that to others to decide for themselves. It's a rather uncontroversial list.

However, these albums make up a fairly small portion of what I typically listen to over the course of a week or so. I usually spend my time either scouring the past for hidden gems, or closely analyzing albums that I know are flawed, but contain elements that intrigue me for whatever reason. I do a lot of the latter while on long commutes. Last week I spent a lot of time analyzing various Nile albums and wondering if something could have been salvaged out of that mess. The jury is still out, on that one, but it isn't looking good. The week before that, I listened to a lot of mid era Immortal and concluded that The Heart of Winter is actually a really good album. Time will tell.

^ I really like At the Heart of Winter, too. And Battles in the North. I am a big sucker for Immortal, though. Ancient Trolltaar and Det Glemte Riket are outstanding as well, I don't know who wouldn't like those.

Here's some that's maybe not the best of the best, but that I listen to a lot:1. Immolation - Dawn of Possession. This honestly might be my favorite death metal album ever.2. Unleashed - Shadows in the Deep. The Venom cover right in the middle of this album sucks, though.3. Unleashed - Where No Life Dwells. A classic.4. Obliveon - From this day Forward. Technical but atmospheric5. Obliveon - Nemesis. Nothing totally amazing but utterly consistent and rock solid.6. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness. I listen to this as much as Blessed are the Sick7. Adramelech - Psychostasia/The Fall/Seven. For some reason this reminds me of drawing monsters as a kid.8. Mortuary - Blackened Images. Wild west death metal.9. Supuration - The Cube. This grew on me very quickly.10. Sacramentum - The Coming of Chaos. I like this better than say Uncanny or Unanimated.

Some masterpieces, some not. I've found that I enjoy listening to more epic music like Burzum and Emperor (aside from the early stuff) less frequently as I get older, although I enjoy it more and more.

Immortal is fucking great, although I definitely gravitate toward BB as far as their mid-period stuff goes.

Immortal is fucking great, although I definitely gravitate toward BB as far as their mid-period stuff goes.

I am the same way. When digging through my records, Pure Holocaust is in front of Blizzard Beasts and I always think to myself " OH! such a fucking great album!", then I put it aside then I see Blizzard Beasts and I always end up putting that one on instead. Does this mean BB is a better album? No but it is great any time, any day, anywhere. For me Pure Holocaust is one of those records I put on maybe once a month, when the moon is full.

These albums rule my speakers:

Judas Priest - Stained Class( every friday night)Slayer - Show No Mercy + Reign In Blood ( everytime I drive)Mercyful Fate - Melissa ( every friday night )Deicide - Legion ( when Slayer isnt playing in the truck )Havohej - Dethrone The Son Of God ( Last in the rotation after Slayer and Deicide)

I don't think my listening habits comply with such a list, but I have a pretty big habit of every time I am trying out a new metal album and finding myself getiing pretty bored with it, I take it out and put in A Blaze in the Northern Sky.

That happened with Dimmu Borgir's earlier albums which I only this week gave a chance. Darkthrone played loudly most of the week.

I don't know if I can actually name 10 albums if we're going with the "stuff you actually do listen to" criteria.

Best attempt:Morbid Angel- Altars of Madness, Blessed Are the SickAutopsy- Severed Survival, Mental FuneralProfanatica/Havohej- Enemy of Virtue, Disgusting Blasphemies Against God, Profanatitas De Domonatia, Dethrone the Son of GodImmolation- Failures for GodsIncantation- Onward to Golgotha

Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion/Morbid Tales/Satanic RitesAutopsy - Mental Funeral/Severed SurvivalBlack Sabbath - first five albumsTherion - Beyond SanctorumIncantation - Onwards to GolgothaAt the Gates - The Red in the Sky is oursVarathron - His Majesty at the SwampsMassacra - Final HolocaustMorbid Angel - Blessed are the Sick/Altars of MadnessBurzum - first two albumsDarkthrone - Soulside Journey/Goatlord (instrumental version usually)Sepultura - first five releasesSlayer - first five releasesSinister - Cross the Styx/Diabolical Summoning

Metal hardly makes up 20% of what I listen to these days, the rest is just Bach with occasional Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn.

Stuff I 'should' listen to more according to what consensus says is good or I know is on some level genuinely commendable, but that doesn't seize me with a great urge to listen to it like it maybe once did:Darkthrone's black metal materialIldjarnEmperor - In the Nightside EclipseGorgutsImmolation after the first albumBurzum - FilosofemEntombedDeath - HumanCynic - FocusIron MaidenGodfleshAmbient musicStravinsky

I've always enjoyed Ancient's earlier works. True, they ended up being Cradle of Filth's downie cousins, but extra-contextuality requires that we ignore the more recent mistakes of the once-mighty (or, you know, we could just KILL A COP).